It had been Tricia who had instigated the romance. Harry had trusted his partner implicitly, and if Tricia and Brian had wanted to meet occasionally, that was fine by him.
Then one evening, over a bottle of wine, she had lent over and placed her hand on top of his and told him that Harry was neglecting his duty. She had said that he, as his partner and friend, should help out.
But now Tricia was in the hospital, recovering. If her husband wanted to take his anger out on him, he would not resist.
‘Harry,’ Jameson said as he opened the door after someone had rung the bell.
‘That wasn’t very neighbourly of you, was it?’ Samantha Matthews said.
‘Come in, come in. I’ll fetch us both a drink.’
‘You told the police about Fergus, don’t deny it.’
‘I only said that I had a photo of his car. I never knew his name, and I’ve always minded my own business.’
‘It didn’t stop you seducing your business partner’s wife.’
‘How do you know about that?’
‘I make it my business to know. Now, what should I do with you after you’ve put me front and centre into the murder investigation of my husband?’
‘You never killed him.’
‘Who said I did?’
‘I liked Marcus, a good man. I’m sorry he died.’
‘So am I, but it was a long time ago. What else do you know about me that the police don’t?’
‘I know who and what your father is. I care little on either matter.’
‘Good.’
‘Why?’
‘Because we’re going to work together. You’re a hotshot man with a computer, and you’re good at hacking them.’
‘I test the security of computers and databases, put programs in place to make them safe from attack, strictly legal. There are contracts in place to allow me to do this.’
‘And if it wasn’t strictly legal?’
‘I’ve never been asked before.’
‘What if I asked you?’
‘I’d say no.’
‘Is that because you’re frightened of being caught or because you regard it as unethical?’
‘The first concerns me more. I’ve seen what these companies get up to, the taxation fiddles.’
‘Then, Brian, you and I can work together.’
‘If I say no?’
‘You won’t. The thought of it excites you, more so than the money.’
‘If I’m pressured by the police to reveal more about you?’
‘You know my father’s reputation. You don’t need to ask that question.’
‘What about Fergus?’
‘He doesn’t need to know about what we’re discussing. He will manage my legal affairs, and I might still marry him.’
‘You’re not sure?’
‘He might not want to be involved, but you’re a greedy man who wants to live well.’
‘White-collar crime, no violence,’ Jameson said.
‘No more than necessary,’ Samantha said. ‘Don’t underestimate me.’
‘I won’t.’
‘And don’t hack me. If I find out…’
‘The same as happened to Marcus?’
Samantha did not reply. She only smiled as she closed the door behind her.
***
Hamish McIntyre reflected on the conversation with his daughter. Most men would have wanted a son to take over the family business, but there had only been a daughter.
He had given her the best of educations, the best of opportunities, and she wanted for nothing. Yet, since the admission that she had killed Liz Spalding, Samantha had changed. The thought of her killing the other woman sickened him. Not because of the act – after all, he had committed such acts himself – but because his daughter was no longer an innocent. He had seen the look on her face when she had visited him. It was hard and dangerous.
And she had known that he had killed Stephen Palmer. But she seemed to have forgiven him, and back then, twenty years in the past, she had been just a child, even though she was married to Marcus, with one child already, another soon to be on the way.
Gareth Armstrong could see the look of consternation on his boss’s face. ‘What is it?’ he said.
‘Samantha wants to take control of my business empire, or at least, what’s left of it.’
‘Do you want that?’ Armstrong asked.
‘I would have preferred to have left it the way it was.’
McIntyre reflected on his own mortality, the aches and pains that he felt of a morning, or when he’d been leaning over his plants in the conservatory. Another five to ten years and he’d not be able to control those who still reported to him, those he still frightened.
‘Does she realise what she’s getting into?’ Armstrong said.
‘I don’t think she’s thought it through, but she’ll not be stopped.’
‘Then what option do you have?’
‘None.’
You need to decide. Do you say no to her?’
‘I’ve no choice.’ He had no intention of telling Armstrong the details of the conversation he had had with his daughter. That she had murdered and she frightened him. There was a savagery about her he did not recognise. And if he was frightened, then what of others? Maybe a son hadn’t been necessary. Samantha could have his business and his blessing. He took the phone out of his pocket and called her.
***
Brian Jameson felt elated after Samantha had left. The woman was right, he was interested in her offer. He had always known how easy it was to hack a company’s database, to find out what secrets they had hidden, to check the payroll. With care and attention to detail, he could set up a bogus employee or a petty cash fund, and then siphon off small amounts of money regularly. In time, those small amounts would amount to a fortune.
In Samantha Matthews, he could see a strong and resilient woman, a woman more to his style. Tricia had always been a whimperer, wracked with guilt, worried that Harry would find out.
He fantasised that it had been Samantha in his bed and not Tricia the night Harry
